Erica Verrillo has written seven books and published five. She doesn't know why anyone with an ounce of self-preservation would ever want to publish. But, if you insist on selling your soul to the devil, learn how to do it right: marketing, literary agents, book promotion, editing, pitching your book, how to get reviews, and ... most important of all ... everything she did wrong.
In the interests of protecting the right to free speech, she did not vote for Trump.
#NotMyPresident

"The anthology will contain new short stories centered around time travel. How does it affect our society, our humanity, or the characters? We want new stories. Create paradoxes. Make us laugh. Make us cry. If you have a killer reprint, query us first before submitting." Simultaneous submissions are okay.Genre: Science fiction/fantasy

"The intention is to cover a wide range of subgenres to show the versatility of a single opening line comedies, tragedies, and everything in between are welcome in the slush pile. That said, Rachael is not terribly interested in horror, and erotica is right out. Salty language is okay, gratuitous violence, gore, or sex is not."

Genre: Speculative fiction beginning with the line "No Shit, There I Was"

Babybug seeks rhymes and stories celebrating big days and first experiences. Meeting someone new, visiting an unfamiliar place, taking a step, discovering the word no—what makes a baby or toddler’s day extraordinary? We are looking for playful writing that begs to be read aloud.

Genre: For ages 0–3

Length: Please keep it short—Babybug poems are generally no longer than eight lines, and stories can be up to 6 sentences.

Payment: Up to 25 cents per word for prose; up to $3.00 per line; $25.00 minimum for poetry

What if Cyclops went to school with Godzilla? What would a kraken bring in its lunchbox? Cricket and Spider are on the prowl for stories, poetry, and nonfiction exploring the theme of Monsters. We’re interested in work that taps in to kids' fascination with all things monstrous in myth, fantasy, sci fi, and as figures for beastly power in our daily lives. Monster stories give kids a space to play with strong feelings, huge life changes, the annoying rules of the grown-up world, and the occasional impulse to smash the Tokyo skyline.

"We like stories that are strange and unsettling, sharp-edged and evocative. Although we will consider any genre, we have a soft spot for weird fiction, magical realism, soft sci-fi, and those uncatagorizable stories that straddle the line between genres."

We hope to expand on the previous volumes of “ghostly” tales and “deathly” tales by delving into the realm of “uncanny” tales. The idea of the uncanny opens up possibilities: creepy doppelgängers, too-close-to-human robots, changeling intruders, cryptid animals, jarring juxtapositions.The essence of the uncanny is an unsettled feeling, a sense that something isn’t quite right, often coupled with an inability to articulate exactly why. Our tastes lean more toward the psychological than toward gore, especially for this volume. We’re looking for a wide range of interpretations and a balance of styles and tones (serious, humorous, modern, historical, futuristic, mythological, gothic, etc.).

The theme for this year's annual themed anthology is Devices: Technology’s impact on our lives and relationships. "The technology could be as old as the invention of writing, false teeth, the printing press, or something not yet invented; it might be your first TV, your grandfather's model T, or augmented reality eyeware. What are the stories and the emotional dynamics? We are looking for the human component, regardless of device or genre."

Genres: "Fiction on this topic can be contemporary, historical, or speculative science fiction. We'd like to see personal memoir or creative nonfiction about family history."

Length: Submit up to three poems or a short story, novel or memoir excerpt, or personal essay (1,000 to 5,000 words)

Payment: $100 for collections ($5 to $20 for single pieces in anthologies)

"We’ve all read the stories and fallen in love with the movies: the girl needs saving, the boy rescues girl, they fall in love, and they lived happily ever after. But what if the boy was in distress or the girl had dreams that didn’t involve falling in love? Those are the kinds of stories we’re looking for to include in our next anthology. If you have a fantasy story about a strong female character who made her own way or a story that takes a twist on a classic tale, send it our way!"

Length: Up to 10,000 words.

Payment: $5.00 per story. There will be an editor’s choice winner that will get placed at the front of the book, have the cover designed specifically with that story in mind and the author will receive a small bonus.

"Compostela (Tesseracts Twenty) is an anthology of hard and soft science fiction stories that best represent a futuristic view of the sciences and how humanity might be affected (for better or worse) by a reliance in all things technological. For more than 1,000 years, Santiago de Compostela (Compostela means “field of stars”) has attracted pilgrims to walk to the cathedral that holds St. James the apostle's relics. The stories in this anthology in their own way tell the tale of futuristic travelers who journey into the dark outer (or inner) reaches of space, searching for their own connections to the past, present and future relics of their time."

Restrictions: Open to Canadians only

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 5,000 words max

Payment: Payment for short poetry is $20.00. Payment for short stories is prorated as follows: $50 for stories up to 1,500 words, rising to a maximum of $150 for stories up to 5,000 words

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Winter is in full swing above the 40th parallel, which is why it is not entirely surprising that half of January's conferences are in Florida.

While there isn't a lot going on the first month of the year, these conferences offer as much as they do in the summer: pitch sessions with agents, workshops, presentations, readings, and ample opportunity to hobnob with writers and industry professionals (hopefully, on a beach).

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway, January 15 - 18, 2016, Galloway, New Jersey. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as craft talks, one-on-one tutorials, featured readings, and open mics. The faculty includes poets Stephen Dunn, Thomas Lux, Laura McCullough, and James Richardson; fiction writers Carol Plum-Ucci and Pamela Swallow; and creative nonfiction writers Barbara Hurd and Mimi Schwartz. Tuition, which includes some meals, ranges from $490 to $690, depending on the workshop; lodging is not included.

Want an expert critique of your manuscript? Then this contest is for you.

It’s open to anyone with a work of fiction or narrative non-fiction. All genres are welcome. There is no fee to enter the contest.

And here’s the great thing. If you win, you’ll have up to a year to send me your manuscript. If it’s ready now, that’s fine, send it as soon as you hear you’ve won. But if you need more time to complete it, that’s fine too. Contest winners will have up to a year to send me their manuscript.

I’ll choose three winners based on writing samples that suggest the writer’s work has a good chance of succeeding in the publishing marketplace. Agents and publishers want books that sell, and my goal is to help you move forward in your writing career. I want you to land that agent. I want you to sign that book deal.

* value based on a manuscript of 450 pages

PRIZES

Grand Prize: my evaluation of a full manuscript – a $1,200 valueSecond Prize: my evaluation of a manuscript’s first 50 pagesThird Prize: my evaluation of a manuscript’s first 25 pages

The manuscript evaluation will be conducted in a discussion with me by Skype or by phone. The Grand Prize winner will get a 1.5-hour (one and a half hour) discussion with me. The Second Prize winner and Third Prize winner will each get a half-hour discussion with me.

The evaluation will consist of my in-depth analysis in which I’ll pinpoint the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses with regard to premise, story structure, character development, voice, dialogue, setting, pacing, POV, and marketability. I’ll also offer suggestions on how any weaknesses might be improved.

The 3 winners will be announced on 21 January 2016 and their names will be posted on my website and in my Newsletter for Writers.

The 3 winners can send me their manuscripts as soon as they have been notified that they have won, or they can take up to 12 months to do so. (So, if you win, there’s lots of time to finish your manuscript if you need it.)

For the Grand Prize winner, the maximum length of the full manuscript to be evaluated is 120,000 words. The manuscript must be double-spaced in 12-point font.

For the Second Prize winner, the maximum length of the manuscript to be evaluated is 50 pages, double-spaced in 12-point font.

For the Third Prize winner, the maximum length of the manuscript to be evaluated is 25 pages double-spaced in 12-point font.

Ready to enter? Great! Here’s how.

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST

Complete the entry form (click the “Register Here” button below) and attach to it your writing sample.
• Maximum length of the sample: 1,500 words. Format: double-spaced
• The sample can be from your work-in-progress or a previous work
• Attach your sample as a Word document or PDF

Thursday, December 17, 2015

The new year brings a host of fresh writing contests with genres that cover the gamut from poetry, essays, and creative non-fiction, to short stories and books (published and in-progress), as well as translations.

Some of these contests have geographic and age restrictions. Make sure to read the full contest rules.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest is sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Restrictions: The contest is open to United States high school students in grades nine through twelve attending public, private, parochial, or home schools; US students under the age of twenty enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program; and US citizens attending schools overseas. Genre: Essay on an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1956. Prize: The first-place winner receives $10,000 comprised of a $5,000 cash award and $5,000 from John Hancock. The second-place winner receives $1,000. Up to five finalists receive $500 each. Deadline: January 6, 2016.

Thirdspace Short Fiction Contest. Genre: Short fiction stories that center on experience(s) of medical education.Prize: First prize: $350 and publication in Thirdspace. Deadline: January 6, 2016.

Japan Center-Canon Essay Competition. The aim of the Japan Center Essay Competition is to promote awareness and understanding of Japan in the United States and to help young Americans broaden their international horizons. Genre: Essay. Contestants should write, in English, one or more aspects of Japan including art, culture, tradition, values, philosophy, history, society, politics, business, and technology in relation to their personal views, experiences, and/or future goals. (Contestants do not need to have any experience in visiting Japan or studying Japanese. Prize: Best Essay Award in the High School Division: 1st Place: $3,000 and a Canon camera, 2nd Place: $1,500 and a Canon camera, 3rd Place: $750 and a Canon camera; Best Essay Award in the College Division: $3,000 and a Canon camera; Uchida Memorial Award: $1,000 and a Canon camera; Merit Award: $200 (each) for up to five awards. Deadline: January 8, 2016.Texas Institute of Letters Literary Awards. Restrictions: Entrants must have resided in Texas for at least 2 consecutive years, or have been born in Texas. Genre: Book (published). 11 different categories. Prize: $6,000. Deadline: January 8, 2016.

Moving Words Poetry Contest. Restrictions: People who live within the DC Metro transit area (the Northern Virginia counties Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun and the cities Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church; the District of Columbia; and the Maryland counties Montgomery and Prince George's) and who are over 18. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $250 honorarium.Deadline: January 11, 2016.

Andres Montoya Poetry Prize. Restrictions: US residents and citizens. Genre: Poetry. first book by a Latino/a poet. Prize: $1000 and publication at the University of Notre Dame Press. Deadline: January 15, 2016.

The Roswell Award. The Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival is initiating a new short story writing contest for adult writers over the age of 18 called THE ROSWELL AWARD. All submissions must be short stories (not plays) and must be an original work of science fiction (not fan fiction) and be no longer than 1500 words. The contest is open to U.S. writers and writers outside the U.S. Five finalists will be chosen and their stories will be read aloud by professional actors associated with iconic Sci-Fi TV shows in a special awards ceremony. Prize: The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000.00. Submissions can be made at www.sci-fest.com. Terms and conditions can be read on the website. Deadline: January 15th, 2016. Finalists will be notified by March 15th. Read submission guidelines HERE.The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community. The prestigious award aims to provide promising writers a network for professional advancement. Since Poets & Writers began the Writers Exchange in 1984, 85 writers from 33 states and the District of Columbia have been selected to participate. Restrictions: Open to Hawaii residents. Genre: Poetry and Fiction. Prize: A $500 honorarium; A trip to New York City to meet with editors, agents, publishers, and other writers. All related travel/lodgings expenses and a per diem stipend are covered by Poets & Writers. Winners will also give a public reading of their work; and One-month residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming. Deadline: January 15, 2016. For guidelines click HERE

MASH Competition. Every three months, three random objects are selected from a randomly gathered list. Writers are invited to incorporate them into a short, sensible and convincing story.Prize: $100 for the winning story! All shortlisted stories are published on their website, and Mash Club stories are narrated by professional voice actors and broadcast in MASH podcast.Deadline: January 15, 2016. For guidelines click HERE.The Ellen Meloy Fund for Desert Writers was established in 2005 to honor the memory of Ellen Meloy. The Fund provides support to writers whose work reflects the spirit and passions embodied in Ellen’s writing and her commitment to a “deep map of place.” Ellen’s own map-in-progress was of the desert country she called home. Genre: Only literary or creative nonfiction proposals will be considered. No fiction or poetry proposals will be reviewed. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: January 15, 2016. For more details click HERE.

Transitions Abroad Narrative Travel Writing Contest. Professionals, freelancers, and aspiring travel writers are invited to write an article which describes how traveling in a slower manner and attempting to adapt to the space and time of locals, their culture, and their land has deepened your experience of both the people and the destination. One of the results of a slower form of immersion travel is the experience of epiphanies that change one's perceptions of the world, of others, and of oneself. We urge you to translate one or more of those moments into a narrative which will convey this view to many who still tend to see travel as a way to "do" as many countries, cities, and continents in the world as possible—as if travel was some form of competition or consumption. Prize: $500 first-place. Deadline: January 15, 2016. For more details click HERE.

Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award. Restrictions: Open to poets who have published no more than two books of children's poetry. Genre: Children's poetry (for children and young adults up to grade 12). A book-length single poem may be submitted. The award is for published works only. Poetry in any language may be submitted; non-English poetry must be accompanied by an English translation. Poetry copyrighted from 2013 to 2015 may be submitted. Prize: $500. Deadline: January 15, 2016.

Orwell Prize. Genre: Political writing published between 1st January and 31st January 2015. All entries must have a clear British link. Fiction and non-fiction. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: January 15, 2016.

Student Stowe Prize. Restrictions: High school and college students in the US. Genre: Social justice writing. Prize: $2,500.00 Deadline: January 15, 2016. See more details HERE.

The Writers’ Trust of Canada/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize is awarded annually to a new and developing writer of distinction for a short story published in a Canadian literary publication. This award is made possible by James A. Michener’s generous donation of his Canadian royalty earnings from his novel Journey, published by McClelland & Stewart in 1988. Prize: A $10,000 prize will given to the winner and the journal that published the winning entry receives $2,000. Two finalists each receive $1,000. Deadline: January 18, 2016. Read full submission guidelines HERE.

Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest. Genre: Nonfiction, personal essays of up to 1,500 words on any topic related to the Pacific Northwest. Prize: $750.Deadline: January 20, 2016.

Bethesda Literary Festival Essay and Short Story Contest. The Bethesda Urban Partnership & Bethesda Magazine have partnered to honor local writers at the Bethesda Literary Festival held April 15-17, 2016. Genres: Essays and short stories. Restrictions: Residents of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia are eligible. Prizes: First Place: $500 and published in Bethesda Magazine. Second Place: $250. Third Place: $150. Honorable Mention: $75. Deadline: January 22, 2016. For more details click HERE.

Nelson Algren Literary Awards is a short story contest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune. This contest is open to residents of the United States. All entries must be: fiction, less than 8,000 words, double spaced, written in English. Prize: One grand prize winner will receive $3,500. Four finalists will each receive $1,000. Five runners-up will each receive $500. Total value of all prizes: $10,000. Deadline: Closing date January 31, 2016. How to enter: Click HERE for complete rules.Imagine Little Tokyo. Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS) seeks fictional short stories in Japanese or English for its second annual “Imagine Little Tokyo” writing contest. The setting of the story should be in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA– either past, present or future. Prize: $600. The winner of the youth division (18 or younger) will receive $400. Deadline: January 31, 2016. How to enter: Click HERE for complete rules.Caine Prize for African Writing. Restrictions: Open to writers born in Africa, or nationals of an African country, or with a parent who is African by birth or nationality, Genre: Short fiction (published). Prize: £10,000.Deadline: January 31, 2016.

Jack London Fiction Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to students, grades 9-12. Genre: Short fiction, essays. Prize: First place $2000.00; Second place $1000.00; Third place $500.00. Deadline: January 31, 2016.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. "The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America."Genre: previously unpublished work of short fiction.Prize: $100.00. Deadline: January 31, 2016.

Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize. The annual Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize is awarded each spring to honor an outstanding literary translation from German into English published in the USA the previous year. Genre: Published fiction or non-fiction, may include: novels, novellas, short stories, plays, poetry, biographies, essays and correspondence. Prize: $10,000.Deadline: January 31, 2016.

Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant. Restrictions: Open to authors under 30 years of age who have not had a book published. Applicant must have been born in Ohio or have lived in Ohio for a minimum of five years. Genre: Short fiction and creative non-fiction. Prize: $1,000.Deadline: January 31, 2016.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Here are two new agents actively building their client lists. Tara Carberry (Trident Media Group) is looking for women’s commercial fiction, romance, new adult, young adult, and select nonfiction. Jaida Temperly (New Leaf Literary & Media) is seeking middle grade and young adult titles as well as adult mystery and high fantasy.

About Jaida: Jaida Temperly of New Leaf Literary & Media is very excited to be building her client list. Current clients include Kody Keplinger, Kirsten Hubbard, Eric Telchin, Amber McRee Turner, and Maggie Heinze. She also represents illustrators Betsy Bauer, James Lipnickas, and Genevieve Santos. After a brief stint in medical school at UW-Madison, Jaida moved from Wisconsin to NYC for an internship at Writer’s House. After five months, Jaida joined New Leaf Literary & Media, assisting Joanna Volpe for the past three years before starting to build her own list of clients.

What she is seeking: Jaida is open to all middle grade and young adult titles, although she has a particular love for quirky, dark stories (The Mysterious Benedict Society, Coraline, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library). For Adult Fiction, she loves those with strong mystery, high fantasy, or religious undertones (The Westing Game, A Discovery of Witches, A Game of Thrones, The Da Vinci Code). She’s also open to picture books by author-illustrators with completed dummies.

About Tara: Tara Carberry has nurtured a lifelong passion for books of all kinds. In her career as a literary agent, she is thrilled to be spending her days seeking out exceptional authors and helping them to achieve the highest degree of creative and financial success in today’s dynamic publishing marketplace. Tara completed her undergraduate degree at Bucknell University and went on to earn a Masters degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She subsequently held editorial positions at both Weinstein Books and W.W. Norton before coming to Trident to work for Kimberly Whalen and Erica Spellman Silverman.

What she is seeking: Tara is primarily seeking women’s commercial fiction, romance, new adult, young adult, and select nonfiction.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Here are six literary agents actively seeking thrillers. All of them work with reputable agencies.

To find out more about these agents and their agencies check the Absolute Write forums. (Just type the name of the agency or agent into a google search with "absolute write.") The Absolute Write "watercooler" is where writers talk candidly about their experiences with agents and publishers.

Stacey began her career with the Corvisiero Literary Agency in New York, where she wore many hats from team manager and trainer, to intern, to agent. Stacey represents NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon Bestselling Authors, as well as Authors who have been nominated or have won awards for various works.

How to contact: E-query query@donaghyliterary.com. Place the following information in the email’s subject line: “Query” followed by story title, genre and the name of the agent that you are querying. Paste a 1- or 2-page synopsis below the query letter. Paste the first 10 pages of your double-spaced manuscript below the synopsis. No attachments.

Julie was an agent at Sobel Weber Associates and Waxman Leavell Literary before joining Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. She received her bachelor's degree in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.F.A in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She also worked in the editorial departments of Tin House and Publishers Weekly. She is drawn to fiction with unforgettable characters, an authorial command of voice, and a strong sense of narrative tension. She loves outsiders, weirdos, and innovators. She looks for work that explores the depths of human experience and the many facets of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and regional backgrounds. Julie loves editing and contemplating craft and storytelling with clients. She takes pride in connecting writers with editors and ultimately with readers. She's agented books that have won the Pulitzer Prize, the MWA Edgar Award, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and the Tim McGinnis Award for Humor.

How to contact: Please query Julie directly
at julie@lmqlit.com. Please note that Julie only responds to
queries in which she is interested. If you haven't heard from her in
2-4 weeks, your project is not a good fit for her. You may include 5-10 pages of your manuscript in the body of your email.

Writers House is a large agency which has represented hundreds of authors as well as licensing, and selling film/TV, foreign, audio, dramatic and serial rights. Alec is an Assistant Agent to Jodi Reamer. He is now in the process of actively building his own list.

How to contact: Send the first 10 pages of your manuscript, along with your query letter, to ashane@writershouse.com with “Query for Alec Shane: [TITLE]” as your subject heading – no attachments.

Jennifer Johnson-Blalock joined Liza Dawson Associates as an associate agent in 2015, having previously interned at LDA in 2013 before working as an agent's assistant at Trident Media Group. Jennifer graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in English and earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is looking for thrillers with a literary bent à la Tana French, with an outsider protagonist who stumbles into a conspiracy like THE PELICAN BRIEF, or with a psychological focus and an unreliable protagonist.

“I love a good sociopath and have yet to find one that is believable and not completely horrifying. I want my sociopath to be like Sherlock Holmes from BBC Sherlock, sociopathic but not inhuman, or Dexter, one with a code despite it not being societally correct.”

How to contact: E-query Mallory@triadaus.com. When querying, please include the first ten ms pages in the body of the e-mail after your query.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

I love reading self-publishing success stories. Every story is different, and each one contains valuable insights as to how the process of achieving that hard-won, and often elusive, success works.

After reading more than a few of these stories, I have noticed a pattern.

First, the author writes something that stands out, either because it unique, different, or appeals to something in readers in a way that touches them.

Second, the author finds a champion.

Authors, especially self-published authors, need someone to champion them. Back in the day, that job fell to publishers. But increasingly, publishers are doing very little to promote their authors' work. Promotion now falls on the shoulders of the authors, leaving them with a task that is Herculean. How can an author get noticed in a world that already contains entirely too much information?

In all of the cases in which authors have been successful, their success has ultimately been due to someone else taking up the mantle of promotion.

In this case, it was a book store owner. In other cases, readers on Reddit and reading communities have promoted books. Bloggers, ebook promoters, Amazon, and even Twitter have all been instrumental in helping authors achieve success.

John Churchman was sure he had violated it when, in early October, he dropped in unannounced at his local bookstore, the Flying Pig in Shelburne, Vt., with copies of the picture book he had recently published with his wife, Jennifer.

“I’m sure they were thinking, ‘How fast can we get this guy to leave?’ ” Churchman admits. But as he showed the book to store co-owner Elizabeth Bluemle, an eavesdropping customer said she’d buy a copy. Bluemle pulled over another store browser to take a look. That customer bought a copy, too. Bluemle was sold: she told Churchman she’d take another eight for her shelves.

Little did Churchman, a photographer who runs a “picture farm” (more on that later), know just how serendipitous a sale he’d made. Bluemle was so impressed with The SheepOver that she told the Churchmans she’d like to write a blog post about it. “We thought, ‘That is so nice. Of course,’ ” said Jennifer Churchman. “We thought she meant she was going to write about it in the newsletter she writes for the store.”

Instead, Bluemle, a contributor to PW’s ShelfTalker blog, wrote a post about what set the Churchmans’ book apart from many other self-published titles: the beautifully crafted photo-illustrations, the textured backgrounds, the extremely expressive animals, the heartwarming story of one animal coming to the rescue of another.

Bluemle’s blog post, published on October 2, almost instantly made the Churchmans a highly sought-after creative team. Multiple agents contacted them, wondering if they had considered shopping their book to a mainstream publisher. The first to reach them, however, was Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Washington Post, like many other highly influential book platforms, has always adopted a hands-off policy regarding self-published books. That has now changed with Serving Pleasure, an erotic romance which won a place on The Post's "best of" list for romance.

Does this mean self-published books have finally earned respectability? Probably not. The WashingtonPost is owned by Amazon, which - it won't shock you to know - published Serving Pleasure.

It would not be at all unreasonable to assume that perhaps a little suggestion was whispered in the reviewer's ear.

It was bound to happen sooner or later: For the first time ever, a self-published book appears on one of The Washington Post’s best-of-the-year lists.

The distinction — bestowed on Alisha Rai’s erotic novel “Serving Pleasure” — marks a small but telling milestone. Long scorned as the “vanity press,” self-publishing now draws hundreds-of-thousands of hopeful authors. The vast majority of the books sell very few copies, but each year produces another rockstar — a EL James or a Hugh Howey — whose stratospheric success fuels more dreams and brings more legitimacy to the platform.

“Serving Pleasure” appears on The Post’s list of the year’s best romance fiction, one of several genre lists in Book World’s Best Books of 2015 package. Rai, who works as a lawyer by day, released “Serving Pleasure” through CreateSpace, Amazon’s independent publishing platform. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

About Sergei: Sergei Tsimberov holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop and a J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law. He has been a literary agent since 2013 and joined Ayesha Pande Literary in summer 2014.

What he is seeking: As an agent, he represents both literary fiction and nonfiction. He is looking for imaginative and polished voice-driven writing, and is particularly interested in narratives with historical, political and international themes.

About Elise: A graduate of Emerson College, Elise holds a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has been with the Dijkstra Agency since late 2003.

What she is seeking: Adult literary fiction, multicultural fiction, debut novels, story collections, and, on the non-fiction side, trade-friendly cultural and/or environmental history.

How to submit: Fiction:Please send a query letter, a 1-page synopsis, a brief bio (including a description of your publishing history), and the first 10-15 pages of your manuscript. Non-fiction: Please send a query letter, an overview of your project including a chapter outline, a brief bio (including a description of your publishing history), a description of competing books, and the first 10-15 pages of your first chapter. If we are interested, we will ask you to send your complete proposal. Please send all items in the body of the email, not as an attachment. Read the agency's full guidelines here.